Ventrue (VTR)
Lords and Masters of the Kindred, the Ventrue are the Kindred's most fervent social climbers, frequently seen at Elysium vying with one another to rise to the top of the pyramid. Regal, commanding and aristocratic, yet also prone to falling into madness, this clan gives rise to legends of Damned Lords and rulers in isolated, lofty castles. Ventrue are masters of Dominate, the Kindred Discipline of mental subjugation. They are sometimes called Lords. , p 112 History The Ventrue are the youngest Clan that has been observed. They were not present during the reign of the Camarilla, as much as anyone can tell. This fact annoys several influential Ventrue, who look to history for legitimation. As a result, a corpus of myths has established itself that the Ventrue hold up as their origin. They claim that Ventrue originates as the lares (household gods) and mares (spectres of the ancestors) of ancient Troy. Working together with their mortal brethren, these proto-Ventrue helped to make Troy one of the greatest cities of the ancient world. During this time, the lares and mares lacked the weakness against fire as well as the Beast. Both would enter the Clan at a later point. The Ventrue hold Aeneas, son of Anchises and Venus, as their first divine leader and king. A Trojan heros, Aenas was one of the few who survived a battle with Achilles (a battle which many Ventrue interpret as the struggle between the Man and the Beast) and was, therefore, cursed by Juno. When Troy fell to the Achaians, Aeneas also saved multiple lares from the fires. As they fled, Juno cursed the fleeing lares to fear the fire that had burned Troy forevermore. In the exodus to Latium, the so-called "Aenads", as the lares began to call themselves, stood side by side with the heros, who had a secret advisor, the lares Troilus, who directed him. In the years following Aeneas death, his great-grandson, Silvius, was Embraced by an unknown Kindred referred to as Brutus. Brutus was destroyed for his affront and Silvius banished. He traveled through Gaul to the north until he reached Albion. Along the way, his line took up posts of regency among the local vampires, calling themselves the "Ven". Most modern Ventrue, of course, accept that the tale is allegorical, but like to listen to it nonetheless. Other voices hold that the gods of Antiquity were actually vampires, and that the Ventrue are the descendants of Venus Genetrix through Aeneas. The Ven, separated from the lares that would later become the Julii (a Clan that is now extinct), whose patriarch, Remus, made dark bargains with the Strix (whom the Ven interpreted as servants of Juno), were spared from the fall of their cousins. When Rome declined, the Ven traveled south again with the Goths and Franks. The Ventrue claim that the Ven hurried in the shadow of the Merovingian and Carolingian, inserting themselves in their courts and from thereon, spread through the European dynasties, and later, into parliaments, churches and similar influential institutions. Other Clans are not so romanticizing: Among the Gangrel circulates a story that the first Ventrue was born from the union of Gangrel and Julii vitae. The Beast The Embrace of the Ventrue is one of surrender and dominance: The prospective childer has to surrender fully to the sire, otherwise, the process will be quite painful for the mortal. Their Beast is a thing of terrible righteousness, once in a Frenzy, a Ventrue will justify any action he undertakes in this state, and anyone who dares to criticize him will be watched alertly for any signs of possible treason. When the Ventrue deigns to feed, the kiss brings a sensation of pleasant listless and involution to the victim. The Lord instead feels power and authority—it feels right that it be so, the mortal sacrificing its life so the immortal might survive, like a good servant should. Clan Weakness In Vampire: The Requiem First Edition, the Ventrue were more prone to picking up Derangements, suffering a -2 penalty when using their Humanity to resist an Derangement. In Vampire: The Requiem Second Edition, the Ventrue have a harder time holding upon their Touchstone. Elder Ventrue additionally have a harder time regaining Willpower through their Mask. Background info * Regarding the new symbol introduced in the clan book, Craig S. Grant said: : Yes, the idea is to take the present symbols and make them more iconic. I wouldn't say we are replacing them. Just offering a different take on them. For example, the older symbol for Ventrue may be used in something like a tapestry, whereas the new one may be used in a signet ring. I'm glad you like them, I think Rich, as usual, did a great job on them. Gallery IconVentrue.png|Ventrue signet References * * , p.26-28 * VTR: Danse Macabre (book), p.39 pl:Ventrue (WR) Category:Vampire: The Requiem glossary Category:VTR: Clans Category:Ventrue (VTR)